June 2, 2014 by kharner

The Mad Dash

The spinach, lettuce and radishes are looking great. The rain, heat and humidity have given a needed boost to these plants given our late spring.

If I could have only captured the moment on camera on Saturday night as we were attempting the mad dash to finish planting our tomatoes. The scattered thunderstorms had been popping up all afternoon, and it was one of those days where the directions of the storms were a bit unpredictable.

Steve and Sam were getting a few more supplies from our garage which left Keith and I in the garden. You also need to know that weather has always fascinated me. If given the opportunity, I would have loved to have been a tornado chaser.

So, I looked south across the section and saw heavy rain showers rolling across the field. If you have never seen this, it is a sight to see. It is one thing when it is a light rain (that is a somewhat calm beautiful view). But when the clouds are dark and you can hear the wind blowing and the rain hitting the ground over a mile away, you know it is time to find shelter FAST. Keith had never really experienced this, but thankfully, it was one of those moments when he listened to me – the first time. Perhaps it had something to do with the tone in my voice:) So anyways, I looked south and saw the storm rolling in very quickly. We rapidly picked up our equipment and sprinted into our garage, barely making it before you could hear the thunder of rain hitting the ground. There are many times in my life that I was not so lucky and ended up soaking wet to the bone.

This time we were a little wet, and I was laughing so hard after I crossed the threshold of the garage because of the crazy mad dash to the “finish” line. Keith on the other hand was asking me if we were going to have a tornado. I told him no – not to worry and said now you will always understand what it looks like to see a storm rolling in. It appears I will attempt another mad dash to finish the tomato planting this week between storms.

Yet, just another example of the crazy life and family experiences from our home.

We have had about 1.3 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.

We have had about 1.5 inches of rain since Saturday. This is less than others around us have received. We are thankful for what we have been given.

Crop Update

The rhubarb is growing like crazy while the other crops are trying to catch up. The boys were excited to share some with their Grandma. In addition, we do sell rhubarb for $3 per pound. Part of the proceeds go towards disaster relief and Gillette Children’s Hospital.

The boys were checking out the cucumbers that have emerged and doing some weeding so the weeds don’t overtake the crops.

We finished planting several varieties of tomatoes on Monday night. What a good feeling to have them in the ground!

Your Boxes

Welcome to all of our shareholders. We appreciate the opportunity to work with you and for you through out the growing season. We work hard to earn your trust and respect in the food that we grow for your families and ours!

All of you should have received an email with more details of dates and specifics with the CSA. The planting was late this year, but the heat and humidity of the last two weeks have really helped out many of the crops. In addition, we received over an inch of rain since last night.

We are excited to see the daily changes and growth in the garden. Look for weekly blog posts for guidance through the season which will provide you with updates, ideas for your box of produce and recipes.

Pick-up and Delivery

Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA with harvest on Wednesday evenings. It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time.

If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf. Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

May 23, 2014 by kharner

Finally Planting

Last weekend, we were finally able to plant in the garden. After receiving 2 1/2 inches of rain on May 11, it was dry enough to plant. In addition to the overly wet conditions, the weather was cold which made it difficult for the soil to dry in the fields.

With the variety of conditions that Mother Nature has presented, we knew that yet again we were racing the weather because the forecast was for thunderstorms. So when we went to bed on Sunday, we knew what we had in was what we were going to get in until later in the week.

We did receive 45/100 of rain on Monday. While we were grateful for the moisture (take a look at the National Drought conditions), we were thankful that we didn’t receive the 3 inches that others received – because it is getting late in the planting season. Our plans are to finish planting this weekend!

I will keep you posted on when deliveries will begin and will provide you with any calendar changes for pick-up and delivery. The projected weather forecast looks to present good growing conditions, but only time will tell.

You will notice strips of winter rye in the garden. We planted it last fall as a cover crop with the intent that it would help improve organic matter in our garden. Our experiment is to evaluate the differences between areas where the winter rye was planted vs where no winter rye was planted.

You may recall from an earlier post that we were quite surprised this spring when we pulled back a floating row cover to find spinach growing. After the record setting cold tempratures, I never expected anything would still be alive! The science experiment continues. We transplanted it into some pots to see how long this spinach lasts this growing season. The young leaves taste good, and the older leaves are more bitter.

Thanks to our neighbors Far-Gaze Farms we were able to till under the winter rye grass more quickly and efficiently in order to prepare the seed bed.

Thanks to another farmer neighbor, Beckman Farms, who had this handy small John Deere drag in his tree grove. This worked great to pull behind this old lawn tractor. Keith enjoyed this new found responsibility.

After the discing and dragging, the tiller went through the garden to reduce soil clumps so that the seeds could be covered adequately with soil for good germination. Note, ear protection is required when running this type of equipment on our farm.

After measuring out row spacing, planting began. Sam was busy planting four different kinds of onions.

We then began planting, a variety of flowers, lettuces, spinach, beets, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, popcorn and ornamental corn.

We planted seven different types of potatoes. In the photo, at left is a Midnight Moon variety and on the right, a Purple Majesty. I simply love the gifts from the garden, and the beauty it provides on a plate for all of us to enjoy!

Planting potatoes is great exercise. Keith and Steve are covering up the deep trenches that are needed for the potatoes. Potatoes are planted in a trench about 4 inches deep. We have a trencher that we can attach to the tiller to dig the trench.

In addition to the activity in the garden, we have been hatching chicks at the boys’ school. What a great learning activity for the students to be “farmers” for a few weeks.

As I looked across the section this morning at about 6 a.m., I saw my neighbors already in the field planting trying again to beat Mother Nature. I thought it was important to note that while the equipment we use may be different, the end outcome is the same. No matter the size, farmers of all sizes and commodities have a desire to provide good quality products for the end consumer. Farmers all share an inborn fondness for the environment, their crops and their animals. It is difficult for those who have not experienced this to fully understand it. It may be best described as a love for what they do and an inherint desire to always succeed and to do their very best through the extreme circumstances we know will present themselves.

May 11, 2014 by kharner

Planting Continues

This week provided a few brief days to do some outside work and planting. But our time working full-time jobs and the weather did not align. Our garden area remains wet and the forecast for this week looks wet as well. Thankfully, we had some alternatives to get some plants growing: pallet gardens, pots and a new raised bed garden.

Below is a glimpse of what is “growing on.” In addition, we had a request for directions to making newspaper pots.

All of these steps involve the family. Sam told Steve this week after scooping the soil into the new raised bed, “Dad, boy am I tired. We worked so hard today.”

The smiles on their faces when they see their plants growing and when they see the results of their efforts is priceless. Hopefully, all of these things are teaching them lessons to laugh a lifetime.

Sam is showing us the lettuce that has sprouted and is growing in our pallet gardens.

Keith planted radishes, spinach, and lettuce in the pallet gardens.

Sam and I were busy planting again. He made holes for the seeds with his fingers and dropped the seeds into the holes and gently covered them up. We planted a few varieties of pumpkins, peppers, kohlrabi, cauliflower and broccoli.

Sam is holding a pumpkin seed (white oval) and cauliflower seed (small black seed).

Science Experiment

Our first science project is in the garden. We covered the cold crops last fall with a floating row cover which was covered by snow throughout the winter. When we uncovered it about three weeks ago, we were surprised to see the spinach was still alive.

Sam wanted to experiment and recycle a donut container to try to grow seeds in this year. We poked holes in the top, and Sam planted Connecticut Field pumpkins.

The boys brought in our newly planted seeds and gently watered them. Now the waiting for germination begins. Even thought the plants can be a challenge to get around. It is so fun to see the boys’ excitement when they begin to see the plants emerge.

A week later, our pumpkins, kohlrabi, cauliflower and broccoli are growing.

Building Project

We had to move our propane tank last fall. So we decided to transition that area into a carrot garden since our soil seems a bit challenged to grow good carrots.

The boys worked hard and framed it up last weekend. And filled it with composted soil last week.

Yesterday, Keith, Sam and I planted a variety of cold season crops in this new raised bed garden. It is sure a good thing we have this to plant in as our garden has been to wet to plant. We are hopeful that next weekend will be a drier weekend to get into the garden.

Newspaper Pots

A friend asked me for the step by step instructions for making the pots. Steve told me there is a gadget you can buy to make them, but this is how we construct them at no cost.

Start with a regular newspaper cut the newspaper when it is folded out into three sections.

Cut each section to 7 3/4 inches long.

This will leave you with three sections.

Once they are cut, fold over about 2 inches, lengthwise.

Our gadget to make the tubes with is a caulk tube which is clamped onto a sawhorse.

Our gadget to make the pots with is the bottom of a caulk tube which is clamped onto a sawhorse.

The part that is folded over is the section you wrap around the tube. This will give you stronger support as your pot.

Once it is wrapped around your tube, twist the access and push/fold down into the bottom of the caulk tube.

Then we use an old baby food container that fits into the bottom of the caulk tube and push it down to firm up the bottom of the pot.

Lift it up, and you have your finished pot. Since the news paper is biodegradeable (made from trees), I transplant them into the garden in their newspaper pots and open up the bottom to help the roots take hold of their new surroundings.

Lift it up, and you have your finished pot. Since the news paper is biodegradable (made from trees), I transplant them into the garden in their newspaper pots and open up the bottom to help the roots take hold of their new surroundings.

May 4, 2014 by kharner

Anxious to get growing

Happy Spring! Welcome to our new share holders. As we begin another growing year, we hope the weekly blog updates will serve as a good resource along the way.

Mother Nature has been relentless in her weather this year challenging even the hardiest of Minnesotans. One of the coldest, in the top 10, and snowiest, 15th, and second wettest April in Minnesota history. So while we remain optimistic and excited about the growing season, each weather challenge has us wondering – what will this growing season be like? We wait for the soil to dry out and to warm up so that the seeds will not rot in the soil but rather grow and flourish.

Our planting did begin over a month ago – in pots that is and continues in pots even though the weather has remained chilly. We will then transplant what has started into the soil once the soil and weather conditions are right.

As the season, progresses we will keep you posted on when deliveries begin. We are excited to have you as part of this growing journey and hope that you will enjoy the bounties of the garden and learn something along the way.

Great news. While the weather has still been chilly, and we have not yet been in the garden planting…the rhubarb is growing!

Even with snow on the ground, we started some of our plants at the end of March. Sam is busy filling up the pots before planting.

Even with snow on the ground, we started planting at the end of March. Sam is busy putting soil in pots before planting. We planted a variety of squash, pumpkins, gourds and cucumbers.

What type of potting soil do we use. We use the Miracle Grow potting soil which has fertilizer and moisture control to help these plants get started. And yes, the boys do sling the bags of soil around.

We use the Miracle Grow potting soil which has fertilizer and moisture control to help these plants get off to a good start. And yes, the boys do sling the bags of soil around.

Again this year, Keith and Steve made some of our pots out of newspaper. Since the newspaper will naturally degrade in the soil, it makes transplanting very simple. Just place the pot and plant in the soil in the larger pot or in the garden.

Again this year, Keith and Steve made some of our pots out of newspaper. Because newspaper is made from trees, it will naturally degrade in the soil. It makes transplanting very simple. Just place the pot and plant in the soil in the larger pot or in the garden.

When the plants come out of the soil, it is always fun to see how the first leaves, cotyledons, emerge out of the seed pod. See diagram below from realcurriculum.com.

Seed emergence showing cotyledon.

The pots are placed on our heated kitchen floor and the boys are responsible for watering. So while it is cold and wet outside. There are still plants growing, and we are ready for Mother Nature to give us an opening to plant!

On another note, the boys are still enjoying their chickens. This winter even in the extreme, cold winter - through Farm Bureau, 4-H and Montessori connections the boys were anxious to expand the flock with a some different breeds of chickens. It has been a good learning experience. Here the boys are pictured with the "teenagers" as they call them. Not chicks and not old enough to be laying yet.

On another note, the boys are still enjoying their chickens. This winter, even in the extreme, cold weather – through Farm Bureau, 4-H and Montessori connections – the boys expanded the flock with a some different breeds of chickens. It has been a good learning experience and one they have really enjoyed. The boys are pictured with the “teenagers” as they call them. They are about two months old – Not chicks and not old enough to be laying yet. They should start laying eggs when they are about 4 months old. Many factors can determine exact timing – weather, environment etc.

January 4, 2014 by kharner

Pop into the New Year

Thank you for everyone’s patience as we waited for the popcorn to dry down. As we reflect on 2013, the spring planting was late and the fall conditions were not conducive for additional drying to occur in the field. The last of the popcorn was harvested October 21. The blue popcorn was actually planted a month later than the strawberry and white popcorn varieties and matured quite quickly. But drying down for the right moisture content so the kernels would actually pop is another story. Thus the delay.

Well, we shelled some of the strawberry, blue and white popcorn. Every variety needed to dry some more especially the blue and the white. There was simply to much moisture in the kernels. They wouldn't even pop. You could tell they were planted later than the strawberry variety. So we had a fan blowing on the ears to dry down the kernels.

In late October, we shelled some of the strawberry, blue and white popcorn. We wanted to see how they would pop. Every variety needed to dry some more especially the blue and the white. There was simply too much moisture in the kernels. They wouldn’t even pop. They would simply burn. You could tell the white and blue popcorn was planted later than the strawberry variety simply because of the moisture content in the kernels. So we set up our own make shift corn dryer and had a fan blowing on the ears to dry down the kernels.

Here is a look at the varieties. They are really beautiful kernels. You will see in the white kernels that there was some cross-pollination that occurred on the ears. You can tell this by noticing the few blue kernels amongst the white kernels. The Popcorn Board is a great source of information to learn all you wanted to know about popcorn and more.

: Strawberry Popcorn

: White Popcorn

: Blue Popcorn

The popcorn is shelled using Steve’s Grandpa Gifford’s corn sheller. An ear at a time is placed in the top. This is a view as the ear goes into the sheller. We are so blessed to be able to use all of Steve’s grandparent’s cool garden and canning gadgets. So thankful they shared them with us to share with the next generation of the family.

This is a view of how the kernels are stripped off the cob as we crank it through. The pointy parts are for taking the corn off the cob so no hand shelling needs to occur. Needless to say this is a miniature corn combine for us.

The ear comes out the bottom of the sheller with the kernels separated from the cob. The kernels fall into the box. The cob is given to our chickens and/or added to our compost pile.

After the kernels dried down, we tried to separate the kernels, chaf and the silks. We tried a variety of methods including shaking method which reminded me of how we separated weed seed from the kernels when I worked in the seed house at South Dakota State University.

After the kernels dried down, we tried to separate the kernels, the chaff and the silks. We tried a variety of methods including the shaking method which reminded me of how we separated weed seed from the seed kernels when I worked in the seed house at South Dakota State University. The method wasn’t perfect. I attribute the additional chaff and silks with the kernels to how wet the ears were when we removed the husks to prevent molding of the kernels and the moisture in the kernels and cobs this year.

In the end, we hope that you enjoy the popcorn. I know we enjoyed growing it for all of you, and it was certainly fun to watch your families get excited about the possibilities.

Recipes

Here are a few more links for recipe ideas from Simply Recipes and Taste of Home.

Some of you may be wondering how do I pop this popcorn? I have always bought microwave popcorn. Great news...simply put some popcorn in a Pyrex bowl and cover with a plate and pop for about 3 minutes or about the length you usually pop microwave popcorn in your microwave (seems every microwave varies a little). Once you hear the kernels stop popping - its done. Another option is to use a brown lunch bag, fold over the top about 3 times and place in microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Remove when you hear the kernels stop popping.

Some of you may be wondering how do I pop this popcorn? Maybe your families have only used microwave popcorn. Great news…simply put some popcorn in a Pyrex bowl and cover with a plate and pop for about 3 minutes or about the length you usually pop your microwave popcorn in your microwave (seems every microwave varies a little). Once you hear the kernels stop popping – its done. Another option is to use a brown lunch bag, add some popcorn, fold the top down about 3 times and place in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Remove when you hear the kernels stop popping.

I melted about 1 Tablespoon of butter and a little bit of salt. The result a happy boy. We also enjoy "treasure hunt" popcorn which is simply a few M&Ms sprinkled in to the popcorn. This is a family favorite for movie night or watching football games.

I melted about 1 Tablespoon of butter and added a little bit of salt. The result was a happy boy. We also enjoy “treasure hunt” popcorn which is simply a few M&Ms and/or chocolate chips sprinkled in to the popcorn. This is a family favorite for movie night or watching football games.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We hope you enjoy this taste from the garden during these cold Minnesota winter days. From our home to yours, wishing you all a Happy New Year!

November 16, 2013 by kharner

Gardening after the growing season

While the harvest is complete, projects are still ongoing. Here is what we have been up to.

Popcorn Update

Well, we shelled some of the strawberry, blue and white popcorn. Every variety needed to dry some more especially the blue and the white. There was simply too much moisture in the kernels. They wouldn’t even pop. You could tell they were planted later than the strawberry variety. So we have a fan blowing on the ears trying to dry down the kernels.

Garden Science

Look at what happened to the tomatoes that Sam and I put in the garden. We had a lot of luck with them this year. 3/4 of them ripened. And we were able to use many of them to make tomato sauce.

Recipe of the Week

We took some of the green tomatoes that we ripened in the basement along with some we had frozen, and we put them through our juicer to make tomato juice. The best part of the day was listening to the boys ask their dad about where the canning supplies came from, and Steve telling them all about his memories gardening and canning with his Grandpa and Grandma Gifford.

The boys were so proud that they could operate the juicer all by themselves. They even commented on what great teamwork they were doing. So fun to see how proud they were of what they were accomplishing.

After juicing the tomatoes, they are put on the stove and brought to a simmer. Next we added a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice to each jar that had been sanitized.

Next Keith helped to fill the jars leaving about an inch of head space between the juice and the lid.

We wipe the top of the juice filled jars with a clean cloth. Then after boiling the lids for about 3 minutes, we use a magnet to place them on the jars. Next we screw on the jar rings and place in a pressure canner. We were fortunate to have all of the jars seal so that we have them to make pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce and simply tomato sauce for the upcoming year.

Family Project

Now that Halloween is over don’t through your gourds out. I love Thanksgiving and the option to keep the garden items around for another few weeks. We painted the gourds with chalk paint. this would be a cute idea to paint them with chalk paint and use as name cards for your Thanksgiving table. Place chalk by each place setting, it may provide for some interesting entertainment during the holiday meal.

The boys and I decided to paint a few of the larger gourds with chalkboard paint. Keith helped open the can and mix it.

Keith and I painted on one layer of paint and let it dry.

Sam and I painted on a second layer. Sam also had the idea that we should paint a green tomato with chalkboard paint…so we did.

The boys had fun coloring the gourds and the tomatoes painted with chalk paint.

October 27, 2013 by kharner

Cold Weather Preparations

With this last week’s morning temperatures in the mid to early 20s, we feel really good to have most of the fall work completed. The feeling of satisfaction is a great feeling.

Harvesting

We harvested the last of the popcorn - the blue and the white popcorn. The ears were so high up on the corn that Sam could not reach them. He had to stand in his Red Flyer wagon to reach them to harvest.

We harvested the last of the popcorn – the blue and the white popcorn. It was a good harvest. A surprise we did not expect this kind of yield. Looking forward to shelling the popcorn this week.

Keith was tall enough to reach the ears to harvest the popcorn. But, the ears were so high up on the corn that Sam could not reach them. He had to stand in his Red Flyer wagon to reach them to harvest. We told the boys that this is the way their Grandpa used to have to harvest an entire field of corn when he was a kid. They were more than happy to have the opportunity to ride in Grandpa’s combine and compare the difference. Mechanization is a great thing! It not only makes the jobs easier and more enjoyable but it also improves efficiencies to grow more food for more people to decrease on starvation that would otherwise occur.

The popcorn ears were beautiful and did have some cross pollination between the varieties meaning some of the blue popcorn had a few white kernels and some of the white popcorn ears had a few blue kernels. We plan to shell it this week.

The popcorn ears were beautiful and did have some cross-pollination between the varieties. This means that some of the blue popcorn had a few white kernels and some of the white popcorn ears had a few blue kernels.

After harvesting the popcorn, Sam wanted to take the lead in cutting down the stalks.

He completed this task of cutting all of the popcorn stalks down by himself. To say he was exhausted and proud would be an understatement.

Keith assisted Steve with the shredding. Keith has been a real trooper with this project. It can be fun when you get to shred “cool” stuff like tomatoes, kohlrabi, carrots etc. But it can be a laborious job.

Sam is my awesome tomato harvester. Before our first frost was expected, Sam and I were out harvesting as many tomatoes as we could find. This included using a head lamp for a light. I wish I could have gotten a great photo of him wearing his Lightening McQueen headlamp. Keith and Steve did get home to help with the end of this project as well.

We also had a small test plot of sweet potatoes. We tried growing them last year, and it did not work. This year some grew, but we will be lucky to get one meal out of what was produced.

Sam wanted to close a few boxes with just a little bit of air flow and the others are open. We then placed them in the basement, and the waiting begins.

Sam wanted to close a few boxes with just a little bit of air flow, and the others are open to see if this makes a difference in how the tomatoes ripen. We then placed them in the basement, and the waiting begins.

Another science experiment was to place a floating row cover on top of some of the cold season crops: lettuce varieties, spinach, carrots, radishes and also beets. We want to see how it will protect the crops, and how cold it can get both outside of the cover and underneath the cover before the crops will die.

Recipe of the Week

Sam and I made this recipe this week. I double the recipe and put half of the dough in the freezer to bake another week. Definitely improves my efficiencies as a mom. I also love baking with the kids. A great way to talk about where the ingredients come from, and who we know that grows those crops. We used our squash and homemade applesauce in this recipe. I was so busy mixing and making sure that the flour wasn’t flying across the kitchen and simply having fun with him that I neglected to take photos…another time.

It also is a great way to discuss fractions and numbers. After we were done mixing the muffin batter, I gave Sam a tub, water and the mixing cups and measuring spoons, and we played in the water learning about the fractions and what they meant.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 – 16 ounce can pumpkin (squash)

1 1/2 cups applesauce

3 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Time: 16-20 minutes

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and applesauce until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake until they test done. Cool in pan for about minutes before removing to wire rack.

Source: Debbie Sundquist from Prayers for Parker Cookbook

October 16, 2013 by kharner

Garden Clean-Up

With the weather changing and getting colder, we have worked hard to clean out the garden. We also wanted to complete as much work as possible before the weather turned colder, and before it rained. We were fortunate to receive 1 3/10″ of rain this past week.

As we were working late last Wednesday night, I said to the kids, “Look, do you see our neighbors are out working late to get the crops in and doing field work because everyone is racing the weather?”

Keith quickly replied, “Yeah, but we are the only ones doing it by hand.”

I had to laugh at how quick-witted he was on his response, and I reminded him of our goals to get more equipment to improve the process…which also meant keep your sleeves rolled up and work hard. If you want something, you have to work for it:)

Garden Science

As we cleaned up the garden, some of the produce that was passed its prime was fed to the chickens. They absolutely love this!

Keith’s first time having the responsibility to drive the lawn tractor to move supplies after pulling up the mulch and stakes etc. Can you tell, he was a little over joyed at this new privilege and responsibility.

We shed as many of the plants as possible to break them down faster, and they become green manure. The kids have been given safety instructions and wear ear protection, and we also encourage eye protection as well.

We shed the plants to break them down faster so they become nutrients for the soil. The kids have been given strict safety instructions and wear ear and eye protection. It definitely is no surprise, that if you have a cool, fun tool the boys are definitely more interested in the project.

Keith wanted to shred his giant kohlrabi experiment. They think it is so cool to shred the different vegetables.

Keith wanted to shred his giant kohlrabi experiment. It was funny to see that the main kohlrabi grew about four baby kohlrabi on the original plant. They think it is so cool to shred the different vegetables.

While all of this is going on, Sam makes sure to take time to tame the kittens and bring them down to see what is going on.

The shredded materials were tilled in and a seed bed was prepared for some additional green manure.

The shredded materials were tilled in and a seed bed was prepared so that we could plant a cover crop.

This year we planted rye grass and tillage radishes. We hope that the rye grass will provide some good nutrients as it grows this fall and then again in the spring and that the radishes will provide some needed aeration to the soil. We are also curious to see if any of this assists with insect control (ex. potato bugs) as well. In the end, we hope the results will provide better plant health and better plant production next growing season. Pictured is Keith showing the rye seed.

So after the seed was sowed, Keith was very excited to be given the responsibility of dragging the ground to incorporate the seed.

So after the seed was sown, Keith was very excited to be given the responsibility of dragging the ground to incorporate the seed.

Sam checked to see if any of the Marigolds he planted made it through the tilling and dragging. He was happy to see that indeed one did! We believe we will have quite a few Marigolds growing on their own next spring – maybe this will draw in beneficial insects earlier to eat potato bug larva.

We have also been checking the progress of the popcorn. These windy fall days have helped the ears of corn to dry down. We are hoping to shell them at the end of the month.

Recipe of the Week

When I was in 4-H, one of my foods project was a pie crust. So that summer, I tried countless numbers of pie crust recipes. This is the pie crust that passed the tests of my brothers, my parents and my Grandpa. My poor family had to try so many different recipes over the years. At least I had extremely honest brothers (sometimes to honest) and a very frank Grandpa to let me know what they really thought of the recipes.

One of my fondest memories was my deal I made with my Grandpa to be an official taste tester for my 4-H foods projects. My Grandma had passed away before I was born and so this provided Grandpa with fresh baked goods on a regular basis and was frankly a fun way to connect with him. I told him I wanted to win blues if not purples on the 4-H foods projects, and I needed him to be very honest with me and very specific about what he did or did not like about recipes. He didn’t let me down. Over the years, together with my families help and Grandpa’s frankness we were able to accomplish quite a bit of success and some good memories along the way.

Pie Crust

2 cups flour

1 cup Crisco

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup milk

Cut together flour, Crisco, sugar and salt. Then mix in with fork milk and egg yolk. May be stored several days in fridge. When pie is all assembled brush top of crust with milk to make golden brown. Cover outside edges with aluminum foil, remove with 5-10 minutes left in baking time. This will prevent crust from burning.

Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from the back of the Festal pumpkin can.

15 oz of pumpkin or frozen squash

1 pie crust (see above)

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup granulated sugar or light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon EACH of cloves, nutmeg and ginger

1 cup milk or evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 1 pie curst. Combine eggs, sugar, salt and spices and beat well. blend in pumpkin or squash, add milk and beat well. Pour into pastry lined pie pan. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40-45 minutes. Pie is done when knife, inserted in center, comes out clean.

Divide your dough into two balls. Place one ball of dough on a floured pastry cloth. Flatten your ball out with your side of your hand, pressing down on it 3 times each way. Basically looks like tic-tac-toe. Roll out into a circle.

To place into your pie plate, using your rolling pin, start on one side of your dough and gently roll it around your rolling pin. Place it over your pie plate and unroll it over your pie plate. Roll your crust’s edge under to make your crust. I made the fluted edge by pressing my thumb against my pointer finger when my hand was in the shape of a fist.

After your pie filling is mixed together, pour it into your pie pan.

Cover the crust of your pie with aluminum foil so the crust does not burn. Place in the oven. Sometimes I remove the foil with about 10 minutes left in the baking and sometimes I remove it after I have taken the pie out of the oven. Just depends on how the pie is baking that day.

Enjoy the pie with some whipped topping! Happy Baking!

October 2, 2013 by kharner

Harvest Feast

This past week, we have pushed real hard to clean out the garden: finish harvesting, take the trellis' down and put away, mulch the plants and till the garden. The boys were great help. Keith received a promotion of sorts and was given his first jack knife and helped cut string. He was very excited about this new found responsibility.

This past week, we have pushed real hard to clean out the garden. We worked to finish harvesting certain vegetables, take the trellis’ down and put away, mulch the plants and till the garden. The boys were great help. Keith received a promotion of sorts and was given his first jack-knife and helped cut string. He was very excited about this new-found responsibility.

As we gathered around the table tonight, we discussed what we liked most out of our garden. Answers ranged from popcorn to potatoes and squash to lettuce and onions to sugar snap peas and green beans. The good news is for the most part we are growing what we enjoy eating, and we hope that we are also growing what all of you enjoy as well. The surveys indicate that we are. Thank you to everyone who has returned the year-end surveys. Your feedback is extremely valuable input to ensure that we are providing what your families enjoy eating.

We also discussed our family harvest feast. I have decided that this weekend we need to have a family feast containing items grown in the garden. The boys deserve something fun to celebrate all of their hard work, and what kid doesn’t like a “party.” I don’t know that it will be quite the well-balanced meal I usually serve, but it should be fun. Their ideas for food included pumpkin pie, lefse and onion rings. I will let you know how it goes.

Even thought we still have popcorn to deliver to all of you in the upcoming weeks, it is fitting to say a big THANK YOU to all of you from all of us. We have greatly enjoyed working with you and for you and sincerely appreciate the trust you have put in us to provide your family with fresh produce. We really do enjoy our visits with you and the opportunity to see everyone learning from this opportunity.

Garden Science

We harvested the strawberry popcorn this weekend. It appeared the raccoons were starting to enjoy it.

We husked the white popcorn and decided it to along with the blue popcorn needs to dry down some more. Interesting to note that the ears are so much larger then the strawberry popcorn. Also,the blue popcorn was able to catch up in plant height even after being planted about a month later then the other varities of popcorn. Also, the blue popcorn had pollination challenges due in part by the weather. By pollination issues, I mean that the ear of corn is not filled out with kernels. Learn more here about corn pollinations.

We husked the white popcorn and decided it along with the blue popcorn need to dry down some more. Interesting to note that the ears are so much larger than the strawberry popcorn. Also, the blue popcorn was able to catch up in plant height even after being planted about a month later than the other varieties of popcorn. Also, the blue popcorn had pollination challenges due in part by the weather. By pollination issues, I mean that the ear of corn is not filled out with kernels.

Learn more about corn pollination here. It really is quite interesting!

Boxes of Produce

All the potatoes are dug! I always find this to be a treasurer hunt. You never know how many potatoes you will find or what size they will be. To me, it simply is one of the most exciting parts of gardening. So excited to find the Masquerade potatoes.

Reminder please return any cups or plastic containers and your box. We will connect with you when the popcorn is ready. You can either return it before then or at that time. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your produce before eating. Please fill out and return year-end survey which was sent to you via email this weekend. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Black Seeded Simpson Elite Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Quick fact video about lettuce from America’s Heartland.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – reddish lettuce

Prizehead – is the spear like green leaf.

Beet leaves – Some young beets are available.

Spinach – a taste for you. It finally grew this year! I think it was our fourth try.

Tomatoes – Fourth of July (medium size red), Black Krim, Big Boy, Brandywine and super sweet cherry tomatoes 100. Check out how tomatoes are grown hydroponically.

Peppers – They are plentiful this year. Here are a few recipe ideas.

Onions – A few fresh onions to put in a recipe here or there. I think we will give one of these recipes a try for homemade onion rings. An interesting video on onion harvest in Idaho and food safety.

Green Beans – Enjoy the Providers – 1/2 of you received them last week and 1/2 this week.

Sugar Snap Peas – 1/2 of you received them last week and 1/2 this week. Did you know that Minnesota is the largest grower of peas for processing – producing more than any other U.S. state each year?

Potatoes – This week’s box contains Yukon Gold, Masquerade, blue potatoes and Norlands (red potato).

Butternut or Carnival Squash – Butternut is a favorite for many. Carnival is a decorative, gourd like squash with a nutty flavor. It is a hybrid of Sweet Dumpling and an Acorn squash and has a shelf-life of up to three to four months. See recipe below as another way to use this vegetable.

Herbs – Cilantro, parsley, golden oregano and rosemary. Don’t forget to wash and freeze these in ice-cube trays – great for soups later this winter.

Fresh cut arrangement – Sedum, Enjoy these as a fresh or dry arrangement. Something most of you may have in your garden, but more than likely don’t take the time to bring them inside. Hope they bring a smile to your face.

Recipe of the Week

This is a favorite in our house. Super easy to make and super moist bread. Enjoy!

State Fair Pumpkin Bread

Begin by combining the dry ingredients: 1 2/3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, softened, 1 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and a pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin recipe by combining the dry ingredients: 1 2/3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, softened, 1 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and a pinch of salt.

Next, I have already thawed out some of my frozen squash.

Add: 2 eggs,
1 cup canned pumpkin/squash, and 1/3 cup cold water. Mix.

Simply love using the variety of eggs from our chickens. Did you know that hens (female chickens), once mature about 4 months old, will lay about one egg every 24-26 hours. They will begin by laying smaller eggs. As they grow older, they molt (lose feather). During the molting period their body rests. And then they grow their feathers back and begin laying again. Laying a larger egg then they did before. This is a cycle and how we get peewee, small, medium, large, extra large and jumbo sized eggs.

Simply love using the variety of eggs from our chickens. Did you know that hens (female chickens), once mature about 4-5 months old, will lay about one egg every 24-26 hours. They will begin by laying smaller eggs. As they grow older, they molt (lose feathers). During the molting period, their body rests. And then they grow their feathers back and begin laying again. Laying a larger egg then they did before. This is a cycle, and how we get pee wee, small, medium, large, extra-large and jumbo sized eggs.

I bake mine in smaller loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Take out of the oven. Run a knife around the sides of the pan and tip out onto cooling rack. Enjoy!

State Fair Pumpkin Bread

1 2/3 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin/squash

1/3 cup cold water

Combine flour, sugar, butter, soda, spices and salt in a bowl. Add 1/3 cup cold, eggs and pumpkin; mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Cool on wire rack.

Source: Blue Ribbon Favorites favorite recipes of Minnesota 4-H Families, Pat Kuznik, West Polk County

The boys love this bread. It really is delicious right out of the oven and for a few days after you bake it (if it lasts that long)!

September 26, 2013 by kharner

Joy of Learning

Here is a good reminder of the strange growing season and why CSA members will be receiving a bonus box. This picture was taken at the end of July. Not only was it a wet spring which delayed planting, but it was also a very strange summer, not only dry, but we also had some unusual cold spells, followed by the crazy heat at the end of August. We have been blessed with some rains that finally kicked some of the plants into growing and producing.

The joy of learning is contagious. It is so fun for us as parents to see our kids learning in the garden, but even more fun to watch the learning that continues with all of the CSA families.

One of our greatest joys this year has been watching all of the kids learn where and how food grows. It is so fun to see the excitement as potatoes are dug, carrots and radishes pulled out of the ground and eaten on the spot, exploring the different types of corn growing and seeing the enthusiasm and anticipation of red, white and blue popcorn. We truly hope this food journey has been fun for all of you. Providing the joys of the garden for you to enjoy is rewarding for all of us. Thank you for allowing us this privilege!

Next week, we will provide a final bonus box of produce. This odd growing season is allowing us to do so. We have a few items that love this type of growing weather so we want to make sure you are able to enjoy them. Thank you for “weathering” this crazy growing season with us. We truly do appreciate it!

Garden Science

Keith and I thinned out the North row earlier this summer. That row did have thicker stalks and fuller heads of broom corn.

Cutting down the broom corn was a family activity. Perhaps Sam was the best prepared for the falling stalks.

The broom corn measured over 14 feet tall. We cut it down to 8 feet to make it more manageable for everyone.

Boxes of Produce

Nothing beats the smiles on your faces when you receive your boxes. It is a great reward for us to see them.

Reminder to return any cups or plastic containers in your box each week. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your produce before eating. Look for an end of the year survey in your email this week.

Black Seeded Simpson Elite Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – reddish lettuce

Prizehead – is the spear like green leaf.

Beet leaves – Some young beets will be available next week.

Tomatoes – Fourth of July (medium size red), Sunchoola, Black Krim, Big Boy, Brandywine and super sweet cherry tomatoes 100. Hope you are able to freeze or can for soups or chilli later this winter.

Peppers – They are plentiful this year. We will finish the harvest off next week.

Onions – A few fresh onions to put in a recipe here or there.

Green Beans – Enjoy the Providers.

This week’s box contains Yukon Gold, blue potatoes and Norlands (red potato).

Potatoes – Yukon Golds, Kennebec potatoes – great for baking; Norland potatoes – great for mashed potatoes; Blue potatoes – try French fries or mashed potatoes – lots of fun!

Butternut or Carnival Squash – Butternut is a favorite for many. Carnival is a decorative, gourd like squash with a nutty flavor. It is a hybrid of Sweet Dumpling and an Acorn squash and has a shelf-life of up to three to four months. Here’s a yummy recipe Pumpkin Donut Holes that I plan to make this weekend.

Herbs – Cilantro, parsley and lemon thyme. Don’t forget to wash and freeze these in ice-cube trays – great for soups later this winter.

Fresh cut arrangement –

Broom corn – Here are some ideas I found on Pinterest
Ornamental corn – Steve has already put a loop in the string. Simply hang it on a hook or nail. There is some additional left if you would like them for decoration. Check the extras next week.
Pumpkins – Enjoy carving one as a family!

We hope you have enjoyed your pumpkins. We certainly had fun growing a variety for all of you this year.

Recipe of the Week

Homemade Pizza

This has become a family favorite. When Steve and I were first married we tried so many recipes for homemade pizza, and this is definitely our favorite. We usually make it on Friday nights. The crust recipe comes from the Minnesota 4-H Foundation’s Blue Ribbon Favorites recipe book by Jeannie Stangler of Waseca.

Pizza Parlor Crust

1 teaspoon yeast

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk, scalded, cooled

In a bowl, combine yeast, oil, sugar and 1/4 cup very war water. Let the yeast become active. Scald milk (this means you warm it up so that it forms has a slight skin on the top – I heat mine up for slightly more time then I do hot chocolate in the microwave). After yeast mixture has become “active,” add flour, salt and scalded milk. Mix well. Knead slightly (I do this in the bowl. I spray my hands with cooking spray and add a little more flour on the dough when kneading so that it is not super sticky and forms a nice ball of dough. The boys love to do this as well.) Lift up your ball of dough, spray with cooking spray, place dough back into bowl, spray the top of the dough, cover with a wet towel and let rise for 15 minutes to an hour. We bake ours on a clay pan. Sprinkle the pan with corn meal (or spray the pan with cooking spray). Bake at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the crust just starts to turn a little brown. Take out and put your toppings on. Bake for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!!

Toppings:

Homemade tomato sauce – here are a few links Ball Canning and U of M Extension. If you want to learn how to do this and feel overwhelmed, I understand. Steve actually taught me. Let me know and we can plan a day to have you come out for a lesson:)
Chop up onions and peppers.
I freeze leftover hamburgers. Before freezing, I crumble up the hamburger. Before placing on the pizza, I thaw it out. Super easy!
Top with mozzarella cheese and any of your favorites.
Place pepperoni on top (I love crispy pepperoni).
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Garnish with parsley.

Our homemade tomato sauce begins with washing, cutting out the stems and bad parts and putting them through Steve’s Grandparent’s juicer. Then canning it. We can only tomato juice and then modify it to whatever we need. I then pull it off the shelf add a can of tomato paste, onions, herbs, garlic if I have some and frozen purred carrots (which have been frozen in an ice-cube tray – learned this when making baby food).

After I have cooked the crust until it barely starts to show a golden tint, I take it out and put on the toppings.

Toppings include: homemade sauce, hamburger (I freeze extra hamburgers that do not get eaten and pull out for pizza or spaghetti), onions, peppers, mozzarella cheese, sometimes pepperoni, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley. Yes, I do make one cheese only pizza as well.

The kids love making their own individual pizzas. I let them have a piece of dough to shape into their own. Lots of fun!

The kids enjoy making their own individual pizzas. I let them have a piece of dough to shape into their own. Lots of fun!

Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is cooked to liking.

Crop Update

Your Boxes

Pick-up and Delivery

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Science Experiment

Building Project

Newspaper Pots

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Recipes

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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Popcorn Update

Garden Science

Recipe of the Week

Family Project

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Harvesting

Recipe of the Week

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

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Garden Science

Recipe of the Week

Pie Crust

Pumpkin Pie

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Garden Science

Boxes of Produce

Recipe of the Week

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Garden Science

Boxes of Produce

Recipe of the Week

Homemade Pizza

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